Elunite Paganism
An ancient religion affiliated primarily with the Lyuudri ethnic group of Tirisfal, Elunite paganism was a mixture of Vrykul Titan worship, Highborne Elune worship, and Kaldorei druidism. It is largely an extinct religion now, as the culture that formed the core of its practitioners was assimilated into the more prominent Tyric culture, which promulgated the worship of the Holy Light. Background The Lyuudri, who would form the core group of this faith, were enslaved by the Highborne house of Zin-Shalla by at least 13,000 PC. In an attempt to subjugate the Lyuudri and lessen the chance of organized revolt, Prince Elos Astarian Zin-Shalla ordered that the Lyuudri be converted to the Kaldorei faith. Several priestesses from the Sisterhood of Elune were dispatched over the millennia to lead conversion efforts, but due to the disproportionate lifespans of the two races and the Highborne's reluctance to allow Lyuudri into Kaldorei religious ceremonies, the Lyuudri began appointing their own shaman to preach Elune's will. These shaman soon became both religious and political leaders among the Lyuudri, and when the Burning Legion's invasion opened the way for Sakura Shan's revolt, it was these shaman who led the way and helped reestablish an independent Lyuudri society afterwards. Even after the Lyuudri's independence, this faith was largely decentralized and personal; even the Tirisfalen Dróttinnate, which had some elements of theocracy in it, did not officially create this as a state religion, and it took no centralized action to regulate its practice. For this reason, it is possible that the faith survived its apparent downfall during the Troll Wars, as practitioners could very well have continued their practices in secret, even after ostensibly converting to the Church of the Holy Light. Principles Elunite paganism, as its name implies, is a form of Elune worship. However, it has been bastardized by old Vrykul beliefs, as well as simple misunderstandings between the original founders of the faith and the Elunite missionaries who sought to convert them. Differences Like the Kaldorei Elunite faith, Elunite paganism is a polytheistic faith that centers around the moon as its chief divine figure. However, the remainder of the deities and spirits in this faith tend to differ strongly from the Kaldorei version, with most being specific to the different regions through with the Lyuudri traveled; some variants of this faith acknowledge the Wild Gods of the Kaldorei, but typically only as being spirits of Kalimdor. Beliefs * Pagan Polytheism: This faith is centered around the natural world, and most of the rituals and deities associated with it are closely tied to nature and the living world. The clergy of this faith are typically called shaman and have little formal training. * Moon Worship: While this faith honors many spirits and minor deities, it is to the Moon - Elune - that they truly place their faith. They believe that She alone has power over their souls. * Spirits of the Land: Adherents to this faith believe that there are spirits particular to each land. Rather than there being, for instance, a generic god or spirit of the sky, there is a spirit particular to the northern Lordaeronian sky, and a spirit specific to the sky of Feralas where this faith first began. Concepts * Matriarchy: Just as with the Sisterhood of Elune that inspired this religion, the Elunite clergy is almost entirely female, which developed over the centuries into the political leaders being almost entirely female as well. The faith places no formal restrictions on men practicing Elunite shamanism, but they are less likely to be recognized societally than their female counterparts. * Agrarianism: Elunite paganism is closely related to independence and the natural world, and it encourages its adherents to live a simple, self-sufficient life while remaining part of the community at large. Holy Text As far as historians can tell, there is no central holy text uniting Elunite paganism, as few Lyuudri shaman were literate in the Darnassian used to write Elunite texts. Instead the faith relies primarily on oral tradition, with one shaman passing down her knowledge to the next. Due to the relatively small boundaries of Lyuudrian territory, the religion was remarkably consistent in terms of its tenets even without a written text. Most knowledge of this faith comes from the few modern practitioners and excavation of ancient ruins from the Tirisfalen Dróttinnate. Known Deities and Spirits There are numerous spirits affiliated with Elunite paganism, some notably overlapping one another in terms of domain. Due to the lack of extant records, it is difficult to ascertain how many of these spirits were contemporary; this list is almost certainly not exhaustive.Category:Religion